The project began in December of 2011. The two business owners, Andrew Weill (Manchester Hot Glass) and Steve Dunning (Circa50), wanted to help SCAC cover food and medical expenses for the 600+ animals cared for each year.

The sale of each container will cover the complete care of an animal for two months, including food, regular medical needs (flea and tick collars, dewormer, spay/neutering etc.), as well as other supplies such as blankets and toys.

"We wanted to find a way to raise funds for the shelter by doing what we do best." Dunning stated. "With an MFA in design and the owner of a design store, I know how to create and market a product. Andrew and I spent months revising and perfecting the design because we knew that in the end, the fund-raising aspect would only go so far. First, you have to create an object that people want, and then they'll want to give."

Their original plan was to produce a two-gallon fishbowl, but once they realized the potential versatility of the bowls, they modified the design to a cylindrical shape for the final product. Weill suggested that the containers have a glass-embossed insignia and Dunning created its slogan, "Give a Second Chance."

Weill donates his time, his workshop and materials to produce the nine-lb bucket-size containers; Dunning donates showroom space and organizes the sale and marketing. Together, their collective passion to help the homeless animals is the driving force behind their collaboration.

Manchester Hot Glass opened in 2000 at 79 Elm Street in Manchester Center, Circa50 in 2005 at 4898 Main Street, where the containers are sold. For further information contact Steve Dunning at 362-3796. ]]> Terry Tempest Williams's mother told her: "I am leaving you all my journals, but you must promise me you won't look at them until after I'm gone." Readers of Williams's iconic and unconventional memoir, "Refuge," will remember that mother. She was one of a large Mormon clan in northern Utah who developed cancer as a result of the nuclear testing in nearby Nevada. It was a shock to Williams to discover that her mother had kept journals. But not as much of a shock as what she found when the time came to read them.

Terry Tempest Williams is the award-winning author of 14 books, including "Leap," "An Unspoken Hunger," "Refuge," and, most recently, "Finding Beauty in a Broken World." She divides her time between Castle Valley, Utah, and Moose, Wyo.

For more information on this and other events, call 802-362-2200 or 1-800-437-3700, or visit the Northshire Bookstore website at www.northshire.com. ]]> Executive Director of the Mark Skinner Library, Betsy Bleakie, said the library is currently planning to begin construction of the new building - which will be located on Cemetery Avenue - in the spring of 2013 and complete the building by the summer of 2014.

The library is planning to launch a capital campaign and Bleakie said that they would not begin construction of the building until they had 85 percent of the funds.

Meanwhile, library officials are proceeding carefully with the sale of their existing building in Manchester Village.

"What I've said to the people that have shown interest [is] that it's not so much that they are going to come in and buy a property, but they are going to have to come to the Trustees of Library and prove their worth," said Donald Brodie, one of the library's trustees. "We want to make sure that they are going to do the appropriate usage of the library and to make sure that we, the trustees and by extension I hope the Town of Manchester, will feel comfortable with whatever goes in there."

Brodie also said that they were planning to vote to increase the number of board members that would represent the town from three to five out of the total of 13, which represents an increase from 11 board members. The town has representation on the Mark Skinner Library Board of Trustees in exchange for the appropriation - which Select Board Chairman Ivan Beattie said tuesday comprises 58 percent of the library's operating budget. - voted by residents at Town Meeting.

Bleakie noted in a telephone interview Wednesday this was technically accurate for the prior fiscal year in 2010-11 due to a shortfall in fund-raising that year. However, in current fiscal year, as well as the upcoming fiscal year, that percentage will drop to under 50 percent, she said.

The issue led to a discussion about the town's yearly contribution to the library and Beattie asked Bleakie if she envisioned the municipal contribution to continue at that level.

"I know that our community values a library. They told us that when we first did our strategic plan and launched the idea of a new library. So, I know that there's that value and I see the value that we're providing every day," Bleakie said. "I don't know the right percentage right now but we do rely on that support to a degree."

To put it into context, Beattie said 38 percent of the Parks and Rec Department's revenue - which is a town department - is funded by property taxes. The library, Beattie said, was not a town department and yet 58 percent of their revenue came from property taxes.

Park House

The select board also agreed to a contract for $81,000 with Bread Loaf for design work for the first phase of work on the Park House at the Parks and Rec Department. Voters gave approval to the town to use up to $125,000 from the Capital Improvement Reserve and Contingency Fund - formerly the Urban Action Development Grant (UDAG) Fund - for the design of the building at Town Meeting in March.

Bread Loaf is expected to develop a maximum price for the project and the town would only be obligated to pay up to that amount. Cost overruns would be borne by Bread Loaf, but conversely, any savings would be passed on to the town should the eventual costs be less than the maximum dollar amount, according to Manchester Town Manager John O'Keefe. However, the maximum cost guarantee only applies if the town opts to have Bread Loaf oversee the second part of the project, which is the construction of the park house.

According to O'Keefe, the Bread Loaf staff has said they are typically about three percent higher in estimates than what the project actually costs. Another benefit to using Bread Loaf, O'Keefe said, was that construction of the project would be quicker.

A downside, O'Keefe said, is that if the town opts not to use Bread Loaf for Phase II of the project they will not provide architectural services during construction.

The town was given approval at Town Meeting to bond up to $1.5 million for the project.

Town Plan, Student appointments

After some discussion, the select board voted to adopt the new Town Plan unanimously.

The board also appointed Burr and Burton Academy students to town boards.

Senior Hayden Dublois was reappointed to the Planning Commission. Senior Abby Lord and junior Stella Oh were also appointed to the commission. Juniors Lauren Keyes and Larry Stark and sophomore Bob Aiello were appointed to the Development Review Board. Senior Kevin Walla, junior Teja Pammi and sophomores Samantha Somple and Hailey Brockett were appointed to the Design Review Board. Junior Abby Grant was reappointed to the select board and junior Marika Mayberry was also appointed to the select board. Junior Morgan Bazyk was appointed to the Parks and Recreation Committee along with sophomores Lauren Mackenzie and Lucy Bisselle. Sophomores Hannah Goepel, Anastasia Arvin-DiBlasio, Quinnlyn Murphy, and Kiana Avlon were appointed to the Conservation Commission.]]> Brandon Canevari - stafff writer Two hours apart and on opposite sides of the spine of the Green Mountains, one school (Chelsea) has just over 30 girls enrolled; the other has nearly that number on its ice hockey team. In most girls sports this year, BBA is a D-I participant; Chelsea, meanwhile, is firmly rooted in D-IV, the Division of the Davids.

A Bulldogs-Red Devils clash would, most of the time, better resemble a scene out of "Hoosiers." But not when it comes to girls lacrosse, where Chelsea, owner of four state championships (one-third of the D-II total), is not a giant-killer but something of a giant in its own right.

"It's so impressive, what they've done," BBA coach Dave Miceli said. "They have been to the championship every year but one in the last 10 years... "Since the first time they beat us in the state championship in 2002."

Footnotes are easy when a trophy bears the birth of a rivalry.

Since then, the seemingly disparate schools have met in the playoffs seven more times. After suffering season-ending defeats four years running, Burr and Burton has picked up three of its four championships at the expense of the Red Devils.

But, actually, the source of the rivalry can be found with the death of softball in Chelsea at the end of the 1990s when the sport was dropped in favor of lacrosse. Given the team's success, it turned out to be a wise move.

"The girls just really got interested in [lacrosse]," Chelsea coach John Parker said. "They took softball away and everyone started playing lacrosse and it just caught on.

"We have no JV because there's only 35 girls in the school and we've always had a good sixth-seventh-eighth [grade] program. I don't know, maybe it's the water?"

Whatever it is, it seems to flow freely on both campuses.

In a decade of lacrosse, either Chelsea or Burr and Burton has ended the other's season eight times. While the first encounters may have appeared coincidental, four straight title-game duels from 2007 to 2010 have made the state tournament look like an invitational event with the rivals hogging the best seats for themselves.

"Except for last year, we've always traded off," Parker said. "Burr and Burton has a great program, too."

Each reached the semifinals last spring, but Oxbow knocked off the Bulldogs one game shy of a date with their annual nemesis.

"Even the year(s) we don't play them, in our mind all season long, every practice, you want the opportunity to play Chelsea," Miceli said.

Usually reserved for the final day of the season, the teams resumed the series Monday afternoon for the first regular-season game since 2007. It lasted a half.

BBA senior attacker Brooke Sabol's sixth goal of the day, coming on a fastbreak look a second before intermission, gave her team a 9-5 edge. However, thundershowers rolling through the valley struck moments later.

By the time they cleared, a saturated Applejack Field was unplayable, the rivalry suspended. Clearly fired up for the occasion, Sabol will have to bottle the performance and reopen it on a yet-to-be-named date.

"I was so excited. We haven't played them since my sophomore year," Sabol said. "I was really excited to just see how well we could compete with them, because we don't usually play them in the regular season."

One possibility for the second half discussed Monday evening would see BBA head to Chelsea on Saturday to accommodate for the Red Devils' prom that night. It would also be an extreme type of home-and-home scheduling and a new chapter in the series with halftime for a game stretching across days.

"It's kind of nerve-wracking because next time they'll probably come with a lot more energy after having seen us play today," BBA senior Charlotte Palmer said.

Matching that intensity should not be a problem, though.

"They understand the Chelsea rivalry," Miceli said. "You look around the gym at the banners that are hanging and unfortunately there are a bunch that are hanging over in Chelsea, too, that might've been, could've been, would've been, who knows?"

They are probably thinking the same thing in Chelsea.]]> Austin Danforth Bennington Banner Beckett, the starting pitcher for the Red Sox, has been having some image issues that stem from his actions at the beginning of this season and the disatrous end of the last season. For anyone who has been living under a rock - or just cares in no way about baseball - here is a recap.

Beckett was part of the absolute collapse of the Sox in September last season, when they won only seven games in the month to lose a nine game wild card lead and failed to qualify for the playoffs. Becket was awful, as was the rest of the starting pitching staff, and could not manage to grab enough wins as the season collapsed around them.

During the off season, allegations surfaced that the Red Sox starting pitchers drank beer and ate fried chicken in the clubhouse during games, part of a clubhouse culture that led to the monumental collapse. When asked about the allegations, Beckett was hardly apologetic, instead wanting to know who "blew the whistle" instead of sincerely apologizing for his actions.

The relationship between Beckett and Red Sox Nation cooled even furthur just a week ago. Beckett, who had missed a start due to an injury, spent his off day playing golf. While not a bad thing on the surface, Red Sox fans were upset that a player that was too hurt to pitch was then not hurt enough to play golf. Making things worse was Beckett's repsonse, essentially a signal to fans that he doesn't really care what they think.

The actions of Beckett probably do not come as a huge surprise to anyone who has followed the pitcher closely during his years with the Red Sox. He has never had the best attitude on the team, is rarely apologetic even when it is clear he did something wrong, and plays and acts with a certain sense of entitlement. Maybe some of the entitlement has been earned - the man does have two World Series rings - but the attitude is really starting to rub the fan base the wrong way now that the team is struggling.

Winning makes everybody happy. Ever since 2004, when Boston won their first World Series in 86 years, the Red Sox have been enjoying an almost unprecedented level of fan complacency and happiness. Adding another title in 2007 was just the cherry on top.

But now the shine has worn off and fans are starting to get restless. A historical collapse will do that to a franchise. The Red Sox could have responded like the Boston Bruins, who used a massive playoff disappointment in 2010 as motivation for the 2011 Stanley Cup run, but instead they seemed to have learned nothing from last year's mistakes.

Beckett's attitude has not changed because the team is losing, he has always been a selfish, entitled athlete. Now that the team is struggling (or at least was struggling, they have won five straight as of press time) Beckett's flaws are being scrutinized in a way they never were before.

Josh Beckett is just one example of how winning changes everything. Win and the problems that exist are overlooked.

Lose and those problems are pushed right to the front of the line. Hopefully the Red Sox pull out of the funk and start their winning ways again, or hopefully not if your a Yankees, Rays, Orioles or Blue Jays fan.

But if that happens, Boston fans need to realize that Beckett, and other players like him, will not just morph into selfless, team-first, humble guys. They will continue to be what they were before and that shiny gloss you see is just a winning record. ]]> By Lauren Read Prizes will be awarded for first, second, and third place, along with the longest drive and closest to the pin.

There will be many more prizes for the raffle board, as well and a $5,000 prize for a hole in one.

Opportunities for a sponsorship or a hole and cart sign exist.

For more information, contact Bob Stearns, Golf Pro at 362-2233 or e-mail him at rstearns@mccvt.com or contact Carolyn Kern at ndschool@myfairpoint.net or 362-1395.]]> The menu includes pancakes, sausage, real Vermont maple syrup, biscuits, sausage gravy, homefries, coffee, juice and milk.

The cost of the meal is $6 for adults and $3 for children under 12. ]]> Snow is stockpiled and features are lined up for the final on-snow event of the season: the 3rd Annual Mountain Mayhem Rail Jam. The winter's favorite features will make a reappearance under sunny skies for this "park-builder's pick" event on Sunday, May 27. Bring the winter's best tricks for the chance to win swag, prizes and bragging rights that carry through to next season. Register for the jam near the gondola from 9 to 10 a.m. on the day of for $25 before hiking up for first hits at 10:30 a.m. Helmets are required. A DJ and barbecue will keep the party going after the final jibs and jumps until 2 p.m.

Awesome though it is, the Mayhem Rail Jam has some competition for the title of "highlight of the weekend." The Mountain Mayhem Mudder on Saturday, May 26, is a chance to revel in the spring's freshest mud over obstacles, across a rope swing and through mud on the Sun Bowl's Nordic trails. The 5K race starts at 10:30 a.m.; pre-registration is available on Active.com for $25, or $40 at the event from 9 to 10 a.m.

A Concert for Vermont finishes the weekend on a sweet note, featuring music by Trevor Hall, Cas Haley and Justin Young. This all-ages show takes place on the golf course from 4 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, May 27. Tickets are $15 and available through The Stratton Foundation in advance or at the gate. All proceeds benefit the Stratton Foundation.

For more information on all events, visit www.Stratton.com /events.]]> The Friday, June 15, event will take place at Flood Brook Union School with a presentation on stress management by Operation Military Kids. After the presentation, students will play mat ball and far ball. The Friday, June 29, event will take place at Riley Rink with presentations from Our Voices Xposed & Vermont Kids Against Tobacco groups. A panel will take place with local high school students that middle students can questions about high school. After this presentation, capture the flag and scatter ball will be played. All games will be outside weather pending. Both events run from 6:30 until 8:30 p.m.

Teen volunteers are needed to help run Friday Fun Fest nights. Volunteers are needed 6 to 9 p.m. and will be responsible for helping set up and clean up the event space, facilitate games, and make sure middle school participants are safe and having fun. Contact MacLaury to sign up as a volunteer. Eligible high school students can receive community service hours for volunteering at Friday Fun Fest nights.

For more information visit The Collaborative's Web site, http://thecollaborative.us/friday-fun-fest, call MacLaury at 824-4200 or email kerri@thecollaborative.us.

The Collaborative promotes the development of a healthy, involved community supporting substance free youth in a caring environment. ]]> POLICE ACTIVITY:

May 6: 04:41 Received a report of a stolen vehicle taken from Middle Road, investigation continuing.

07:29 Assisted in traffic control for Tour of the Dragons bike race.

08:27 Received a report of a door that had a handle broken off at the Reluctant Panther. The handle was recovered at another incident the previous week.

13:15 Received a report of a dog running at large on Roberts Road.

15:45 Attempted to assist the Westminster, Mass. police in looking for an overdue male.

19:08 A female reported that her car was damaged by another vehicle that left the scene.

20:16 Responded to a reported family fight at a residence on Depot Street.

May 7:

09:34 Received a report of possible employee fraud at a Lincoln Avenue business.

14:03 Served a subpoena for district court on Main Street.

22:40 Responded to a false commercial alarm at the British School of Falconry on River Road.

May 8:

09:05 Received a report of a car into a guard rail on Depot Street.

09:49 Received a report of a dog roaming at large on Three Maple Drive.

11:59 Received a report of a minor two car crash on Seminary Avenue.

18:17 Received a report of a confrontation on Roberts Road between two very young juveniles and two adults on Roberts Road.

20:06 Responded to a false alarm at the Bank of Bennington on Center Hill.

May 9: 09:21 Received a report of a possible mistreatment of a child, received through the Vermont Department of Children and Families (DCF).

12:33 Received a report of possible drug activity at a location not to be disclosed at this time.

15:48 Received a report from a female of another female speeding and acting up on Dufresne Pond Road.

18:12 Received a report of a suspicious vehicle on Homer Road.

18:24 Assisted the Vermont State Police on a traffic stop on Seminary Avenue.

19:24 Attempted to locate a female possibly residing in town for Bennington Police.

23:06 Responded to a false commercial alarm at the Ekwanok Country Club.

May 10:

08:35 Investigated a 911 hangup call at the Southern Vermont Art Center.

09:07 Responded to a dispute between former domestic partners on Valley Pass over a dog.

16:35 Responded to a fight at McDonald's, arrests pending.

17:44 Responded to an anonymous report of a subject intoxicated after leaving a local bar and operating a vehicle.

May 11:

14:33 Replaced absent crossing guard at MEMS.

19:06 Responded to a report of juveniles on the roof of Carter's on Depot Street.

19:10 Investigated a single vehicle crash on Finbars Forest Road.

23:23 Responded to a false residential alarm on Taconic Road.

May 12:

00:23 Assisted the rescue squad with a lift assist at Spruce Brook Apartments Road.

01:17 Assisted the Winhall police with the arrest and processing of an intoxicated driver.

07:50 Responded to a false commercial alarm at Ekwanok Country Club.

14:35 Received a report of a gas drive off from a Main Street convenience store.

15:21 Stopped a vehicle on US Route 7 reported to be intoxicated, negative.

15:45 Received a report of dogs roaming at large on Lorette Avenue.

20:40 Responded to another false alarm at Ekwanok Country Club.

FIRE ACTIVITY:

May 7:

15:24 Engine 2 responded to an accidental false fire alarm at 3967 Main Street, the Inn at Manchester.

21:04 Car 6 and Engines 2, 9 and Tower 1 responded to fire alarm activation at 140 West Road.

22:06 Cars 6, 7, 8 and Engines 2, 5, and 9 responded on mutual aid to a structure fire at 35 Benedict Road in East Dorset.]]>